Landfill compactors are generally used to compact debris and soil on the ground. In operation, a landfill compactor needs to be protected at its flexible or articulated joints since these joints are directly exposed to the soil or debris in harsh working environments. A large number of metallic and non metallic protective guards used to address this issue generally lack a factor of flexibility due to which they cannot be connected to relatively moving parts abutting the articulated joints. Further, the metallic protective guards' may leave a gap between the relatively moving parts of the joint thus allowing some soil or debris to enter the joint. Furthermore, the metallic protective guards are prone to corrosion problems.
Hence, flexible covers are provided in machines to flexibly cover and protect articulated or rotatable joints present in the machine. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,869 relates to a boot for enclosing a flexible rotating joint. The boot body has a generally tubular shape with end openings and at least one longitudinal seam running from one end opening to the other. The seam is formed by two edges. One edge mates with the other edge to form a boot with an annular cross-section. The edges of the seam are bonded to one another by a thin, flexible bond extending along the contact surface between them. Furthermore, adapter rings are placed within the end openings.